Borderlands 2 Class Breakdown: Gaige the Mechromancer

Borderlands 2 is a unique experience, and the class you pick at the beginning of the game is a big part of that. Each class suits a different play style and picking the right one is key for your domination of Pandora. Today, I cover the Mechromancer class; the class that is easily the most overpowered.

It was nice of Gearbox to release the fifth character class a week early, but they should have balanced the Mechromancer class better. While the skill tree selections the Mechromancer has may not be as good as some of the other characters, her action skill makes up for it by easily being the best in the game.

Hitting level 5 will unlock said action skill, Summon Deathtrap (summons Deathtrap, a giant robot that annihilates enemies with melee attacks.) This ability not only focuses the enemies onto the robot while you fire away, but Deathtrap obliterates enemies that are close and far away from him. There was one specific moment where I was earning XP while I was standing around, wondered why, then saw Deathtrap beating up enemies that I never saw at very far distances. Having Deathtrap as the Mechromancer’s action skill will make it one of the most played classes, even though it came out later as DLC.

The Mechromancer class has good skills in each tree, but I decided to max out the Best Friends Forever tree, the one on the left. This was my priority since it’s the only one with a cooldown rate boost for Deathtrap, which makes the class even more overpowered. I started with 3 points into Cooking Up Trouble (while your magazine clip is full you regenerate health) and 2 points into Close Enough (bullets that hit walls and other objects have a chance to ricochet towards an enemy) as they were the most appealing starting skills. I then spent the 1 necessary point on Buck Up (Deathtrap restores the shields of one ally) since I almost exclusively play co-op with friends. I then put 5 points into Fancy Mathematics (improves shield recharge delay and shield recharge rate based on your health. Lower the health, the better the shields get.) I put a lot of points into that since the Mechromancer struggles in big firefights when you’re waiting for Deathtrap to cooldown. I then invested a point into Upshot Robot (gives Deathtrap +5 seconds if you or him kill an enemy and a melee attack bonus.) As I said earlier, having Deathtrap out for as long as possible is key for the Mechromancer as he is the best thing to happen to you.

Next, I put 5 points into Potent as a Pony (improves maximum health for you and Deathtrap), which is immensely important for both. I followed this up with Explosive Clap (Deathtrap causes an explosion in front of him causing a lot of damage), 3 points into Made of Sterner Stuff (you and Deathtrap gain damage reduction against all types, and Deathtrap gains bonus melee damage), and 5 points into the all important 20% Cooler (which gives you +30% cooldown for Deathtrap when you have 5 points in.) The cooldown reduces Deathtrap sightings from about 1 minute in real time to 40 seconds, which could be the difference in winning and losing a fight. Also when you take consideration the Upshot Robot skill, Deathtrap can be active for a long time. To finish the Best Friends Forever tree, you need to invest one point into Sharing is Caring (gives Deathtrap a copy of your shield) which makes the robot even more deadly.

Once you’ve maxed out the Best Friends Forever tree, I’d recommend adding points into various skills from the Little Big Trouble and Ordered Chaos that fit your play style the best. For instance, I added points into More Pep (increases your elemental chances to enemies), The Stare (Deathtrap ability, fires a laser beam that causes burn damage to entire battlefield) and Strength of Five Guerrillas (increases melee damage for you and Deathtrap). I wasn’t interested in the Ordered Chaos tree so I basically ignored it throughout my time with the Mechromancer as the Anarchy stuff seemed confusing and lame.

The Mechromancer class is extremely overpowered and will be a favorite amongst players as they wrap up their other classes. Not only is it great for single player, but the co-op aspect of Deathtrap shines as well. Watching your robot take out everyone never gets old and with the skills mentioned above, can be downright unfair.

This is part five of our Borderlands 2 Class Breakdown. If more classes get released, we will add them accordingly. The Assassin class can be found here, the Siren can be found here, the Gunzerker can be found here and the Commando can be found here.

What do you think about the Mechromancer? Did you build it the same way as me? Let me know in the comments below.